India elects first woman speaker

Kumar, centre, was elected unopposed by a voice vote in India's 543-seat parliament[AFP]

The motion to elect Kumar was also supported by members of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

'Historic occasion'

Neerja Choudhury, a political analyst based in India, said Kumar's nomination was a"conscious decision" on the part of Congress to strengthen itssupport base among India's 160 million Dalits, also known as"untouchables".

Shunned by higher castes, Dalits generally perform the lowliestoccupations, including scavenging on rubbish dumps, and are thepoorest in terms of income, literacy and land.

As the daughter of Jagjivan Ram, a prominent Dalit leader and former deputy prime minister, Kumar replaces Somnath Catterjee, a communist lawmakrer who held the post for the previous five years.